Loveleen
by ZapZapYotsuba
Summary: Lady Loveleen Hypatia Merryweather has returned to Moonacre Valley after her mother's death. Absent for 6 years, her once beautiful home is slowly rotting away as nightmares take hold of her dreams...and just who the heck are these boys dressed in black!
1. Chapter 1 A long, long time ago

-I-

_Many, many years ago…_

When gods ruled the heavens – governing the sun, moon and stars - mankind wielded the elements of magic, to nurture and purify their lands and water. Within these flourishing lands, fantastical beasts of all shapes and sizes roamed freely.

The Gods, mankind and beasts lived together as one; each understood the essential need for one another. Without the Gods, the heavens would be lost and magic would cease to exist. And without magic, Mankind's flourishing lands would wither and rot, their water turning spoiled and poisonous. The world would decay and eventually die, taking with it the lives of all mankind and its beasts.

Mankind and the beasts needed the Gods, but the Gods needed mankind as well. It was within the creation of mankind that the Gods found purpose for their very own existence.

The birth of mankind and beasts was spawned from a union between the King of all of the Gods, the Sun God Helios and the Moon Goddess Luna. Using her great powers, the Moon Goddess called forth the tiny atoms of the universe, she pulled, crushed and molded the atoms into a ball. At first, the sphere was barren and lifeless, but Luna took an arrow from her quiver and pricked her finger upon the arrowhead; she let her blood run and wash over the barren landscape, filling up the cracks and deep crevasses.

Continents were formed and surrounded by large bodies of the Goddess blood, the oceans; it was a pure liquid, the truest shade of blue with glowing strains of the goddess essence, power and magic swirling within its depths. Trails of her blood steamed out from the oceans and streamed across the lands forming rivers; these rivers formed pools and lakes. With the same arrow, Luna cut a lock of her hair and dropped it in a lake that rested within a large valley. From the lake spawned magical beasts, which would come to flourish in the wake of night, when the moon rose high into the sky. She then cut away bits of her flesh and scattered them about the land and thus created a being of her physical self, women.

The goddess admired her creation from above; she came to love and cherish the magical beasts and women. However, over time, the beasts began to beg their Mother to fill the barren land with life, or else they will wither and die. Luna told her beasts that this was not within her power, that she had given them all that she could. Soon the beasts began to wail in agony, as their bodies withered and died. In the wake of all of this, the women began to wail and mourn; they beg their Mother to fill the emptiness within them and give them something to love and cherish as well.

Their cries tore through the Goddess, causing great heartache; her agony poured out from her mouth and encased the entire earth in a mass of grey and black clouds. From the clouds rained the Goddess tears; they flooded the lakes and rivers. Her wails formed powerful winds that swept over the barren lands; it caused the oceans to thrash about violently, its waves to towering sky-high. Luna tried to calm her agony but it was to no avail.

In pure desperation, Luna asked her King, the Sun God Helios if he would bestow his great powers upon the earth and grant it new life so that her beasts and women may live and flourish. He agreed, but only if the Goddess agreed to become his Queen; Luna agreed and a union was formed between the God and Goddess.

Helios sent powerful waves of light and energy down onto the earth; it broke apart the barrier of dark clouds, casting out the darkness and purifying the atmosphere. What remained were brilliant white clouds scattered across brilliant blue skies.

After breaking the barrier, Helios unsheathed his grand sword and cut his hand upon its sharp blade; his blood seeped across the barren land and sunk deep into the soil. The light and energy that pulsed off of him and onto the earth caused the world to shake and quiver as new life sprung from the soil. Forests, green fields and valleys were formed across the land, providing food, shelter and new homes for the beasts to flourish upon.

The Sun God then took his sword and cut away bits of his flesh and sprinkled them across the land and thus created a being of his physical self, man. Together man and woman formed unions and spawned life of their own. Mankind was born and only through the gifts given to them by the God and Goddess, would they flourish and grow for all eternity.

The beasts and mankind thanked their Mother and the Sun God for these gifts; and upon seeing their happiness and hearing their praises, Luna became Helios Queen and together they governed over the grand heavens and watched over the earth.

When it came time to bed his new Queen, Luna refused and denied Helios; he had only asked her to become his queen and so she did, but giving herself in body and soul to Helios was not apart of the arrangement.

Helios was outraged by the Goddess cleverness and set forth to punish her, but he could not find the power within him to do so, his love for Luna wouldn't allow it. He instead left his Queen, putting great distance between himself, the earth and her; he couldn't bare to be so close to the Goddess and not be allowed to touch her, so he instead settled upon gazing at her from afar.

The Moon Goddess felt a twinge of guilt for tricking her King; she called out to him and wished to share the world, which he himself helped create. Luna told the king she would spin the earth around and around, so that he may gaze upon all of his creation. From then on, the two Gods shared and watched over the earth; doting upon the land and it inhabitants.

For thousands of years, mankind and the beasts lived happily among the earth, but overtime mankind began to forget all about their Gods. Men, women and their children ceased to praise them, no longer sharing their love and appreciation for all that they had provided them. They shunned the Gods and soon took to abusing the magic that was bestowed upon them, using it to perform dark and selfish deeds.

Mankind became jealous and greedy, causing wars and trying to conquer one another. So much blood, hatred and lust for power poured out from the essence of mankind that it angered the Moon Goddess. She punished her children for their selfish behavior and stripped them of their magical powers. Luna concealed the magical powers that she and Helios bestowed upon mankind within a mysterious emblem; she hid it among the earth, but not a human soul, clue or map to its whereabouts was ever found.

Luna had hoped that by stripping them of their magical powers that mankind would cease their violence and live in peace once again, however mankind was instead furious with their Goddess, cursing and denying her their love and praises. They turned on their Mother and sought power from the magical beasts she herself created. Hunted and slaughter, the magical beasts fell one by one by the hands of man. In order to save her creatures, the Moon Goddess stripped the remaining beasts of their magic and concealed it within another emblem that to was hidden away.

With both mankind and beasts being stripped of their gifts and powers, they became furious with their Mother and despised her even more. The Moon Goddess felt such a great lost and try as she might, could not bring herself to rid the world of her children and beasts. She instead pleaded with Helios to punish her children, he agreed only if she first gave herself over to him both in body and soul. Luna agreed and gave herself over to the Sun God; after he bedded her, the Moon Goddess asked for him to carry out his punishment upon the earth. The Sun God laughed at her demand and told the Goddess that their was nothing left to punish mankind and the beasts with – their magic had been stripped and she did not wish for their death, therefore their was nothing left to punish their children with.

Furious with and betrayed by both her King and children, the Moon Goddess Luna fled, leaving both her King and Earth far behind. However, try as she might, the Goddess could not leave them entirely, so she remained, linger out in the darkness of space where she could gaze upon her once beloved earth.

-II-

The booked slammed shut and was carried across the room to be put back in its rightful place on the bookshelf.

"Ms. Whimbellbee, what happened after that?" said the small girl who has tucked away within her cozy bed.

"My dear child, it is way past your bedtime and you have a very busy schedule tomorrow," the older woman sigh, "once again falling behind in your studies." She turned sharply around and crossed her arms against her chest, "I suggest you close your eyes and get some rest." She then began to walk about the room, smothering out the lanterns and candles that lit the rather large bedroom.

"But what happened to the Moon Goddess? I want to know – " pleaded the girl only to be cut off by the older woman. She had found her way back to the child's bed, where she now stood over the girl. The woman's hand rose with a scolding finger pointing and wagging ever so close to the little girl's nose.

"That is enough! A young lady does not ask such silly questions, I knew reading such rubbish to you would only cause your imagination to run wilder then it already does. Now go to sleep." Said the woman rather sternly.

The small child frowned and looked quite hurt by the harsh statement; the older woman noticed this and sighed. She softened her features, only slightly for she still liked to remain rather stern with the little girl, she brushed back her curls placed a kiss on the child's forehead. She pulled away and gently whispered, "Sleep well and may you have sweet dreams."

The girl smiled beamed up at the older woman, she then nestled deeper under the soft covers and closed her eyes. Feeling satisfied by the girl's actions, the older woman walked over to the bedroom door and with one last look about the room, she smothered out the last light, casting the room in complete darkness.

~Note~

Hi, so this is the first chapter to my first fanfiction. AU of course, but inspired by the book "A little White Horse", the movie "The Secret of Moonacre Valley" and by the many awesome Little White Horse fanfictions.

Important note, I had a different chapter up before but as I started laying out more of the stories and chapters I decided I need to add this part about the God and Goddess first. So sorry about that :(

Also, this is in no way my personally belief or take on religion or on how the world/universe was created. I'm just trying to add more depth into the story and curse behind Moonarce Valley. Please enjoy!

More to come soon, Robin doesn't appear until chapter four so just hold off until then ^.^


	2. The Introductions

-II-

_An Introduction…_

Lady Loveleen Hypatia Merryweather is the young heiress to Moonacre Valley and at this point in the story, 11 and half years old, respectfully. She has thick curly auburn hair and warm honey brown eyes that were framed by thick brown lashes. Her skin was white as snow with a hint of rose pink cheeks; it was silk to anyone's touch. She was tiny for her age, always a bit shy of what was deemed an appropriate height for her age. But despite her height, the girl's limbs were long and thin, and surprisingly she never once tripped or tangled herself within those long lengthy limbs. No, she was very elegant and nimble, gliding to and fro, one would catch her pouncing upon unsuspecting butterflies, climbing up high trees and perching on their branches. These peculiar qualities were not only odd for an 11 and half-year old girl to posses, but in general for a human being. One would consider close relations to a family of cats as oppose to a noble birthright into the infamous Merryweather family.

Yes, one of many would indefinitely label the young Lady Loveleen Merryweather as alien to the Merryweather's, if it were not for the very noticeable fact that she was quite literally the spitting image of her mother, Lady Elizabeth Merryweather. There is was always confusion between the two when it came to the various portraits that graced the walls of their large home, Merrybell Manor. No one was able to tell which portrait was of Loveleen and which were of her Mother Elizabeth when she was a young girl. And of course, as Loveleen grows and matures in the coming years, there would be even more confusion about who was who in the portraits. Despite their identical appearances, Loveleen Merryweather was nothing like her mother, and as far as she was concerned, would never ever conform to her mother's attitude and standards.

Lady Elizabeth Merryweather was a woman of great nobility; and it was within this nobility that Elizabeth always found herself in good favor with society. A protégé in feminine sense, excelling in the art of needlepoint, singing and painting; she was fluent in French and Italian, and was always properly dressed in the most fashionable sense. Loveleen was convinced that her mother lived only for the luxuries and gossip that society provided her, and this made Elizabeth Merryweather a grand snob in her daughter's eyes.

Rebellious and free spirited both in attitude and action, Loveleen had a sharped tongue that constantly got her into trouble with her governess, Ms. Whimbellbee; she would always scold Loveleen with, "A young lady of your status and nature does not speak out in such a manner! My dear heavens, Girl, your tongue is laced with such crudeness and it freely speaks out whatever wild idea that crosses your mind! How will you ever find a respectable husband? You're going to scare them all away!" She would squawk out; the batty governess was determined to make a fine and noble woman out of Loveleen, but of course the young pupil had other plans that did not include becoming a well-bred breed of women.

When it came to her studies, Loveleen would often sneak away to so she could play with her much older brother, eight years her senior to be exact, Benjamin Merryweather. Together, they would play hide and seek in the grand MerryBell gardens; Loveleen would often win this game because she would perch herself in high places or crawl under dirty shrubs which her brother would not expect a young girl to do, for it was not in their nature to climb or crawl.

Enjoying his younger siblings company, Benjamin taught Loveleen to play sports that we exclusive to men only, such as cricket, badminton and fencing. He only did so because Benjamin Merryweather was both quite proud and astonished by his little's sister talents and quickness to learning such advance and challenging sports. For an 11 and half-year old girl, Loveleen was far better then most teenage boys. She did not shy away from the dirt and sweat that came with the male exclusive sports and nor did she run and hide when Benjamin took her to the stables and introduced her to the giant black stallions. In fact she had taken quite a liking to them right away, stroking their snouts and feeding them apples and carrots. She begged her brother to teach her how to ride, but with her small stature she was not fit to ride. So instead she rode situated in front of her brother, his arms wrapped securely around her as he held onto the reins.

Loveleen would squeal and giggle with such delight as the wind dance across her face and brushed back her hair. They would always ride past the gardens, through the vast fruit orchards and out into Merrybell park. As they rode through the park, Loveleen would see quant village of Silverydew, its villagers moving in and out of the village pulling wages and carrying baskets full of goods. Paradise Hill peaked out past the village, forever towering and watching over the land of Moonarce. Loveleen could see the church that was perched in the middle of Paradise hill, her eyes would travelled up a winding road and rest upon the gravestones and monuments that littered the hills peak. She was never able to take too much in; they would past the village and come upon the farming lands. They would zoom past farmers, startling them as they yelped and leapt out of the way; their curses were muffled by the wind pulsing past our ears. The two siblings would chuckle and then shout out their sincerest apologizes.

The land swept paced them so quickly, it all became a blur of magnificent colors. It was during these rides that Loveleen felt true freedom, as if she was leaving the world far behind her, but then it would all come to an abrupt end as Benjamin pulled back on the reins and whoa-ed the stallion to a stop. They stood in at the crest of the grand Pinewoods, a forest so thick and vast that it was off limits to all inhabitants of Moonacre Valley. Most people feared the forest, stating that ferocious beasts, bandits and witches lurked about and called the forest home. Such stories only intrigued and sparked Loveleen's curious nature; a desire to explore and climb the grand trees only further tempted her to slip off her brother's horse and enter the forest.

But another tug on the reins and a few clicks of her brother's tongue, the black stallion swung back around and sprung forward, sprinting across the open valley, the farm lands, and past the village and Paradise hill, until they were back in the Merrybell park, running past the fruit orchards and gardens, ending their ride at the Merrybell stables.

Running wild suited the girl and of course, this playtime was kept in secret between the two siblings, but Ms. Whimbellbee was not entirely oblivious. Loveleen would disappear for hours on end, only to come back with a mud and grass stained dress; it was not hard to put two and two together but Ms. Whimbellbee made no attempt to stop Loveleen from spending time with her brother for he was the only family member who would shine some of their attention and affection upon the poor girl.

Her parents, as far as Ms. Whimbellbee was concerned, have never even held their beautiful daughter, never mind hug or give goodnight kisses. The poor girl was deprived of any family love and affection; and despite the playful nature between the two siblings; Benjamin never hugged or kissed his baby sister either, she was the brother and friend that Benjamin never had.

_I love you_ was not a term used freely among the Merryweather family; too much pride. They were too busy being star socialites, attending and even throwing auctions, grand balls and luncheons with prestigious families from around the world. Her father, a businessman in heart and soul, travelled abroad and even before his death, Charles Merryweather was rarely about the 10-acre manor. He died when Loveleen was six years old from consumption; he left Moonarce Valley, along with his $80,000 fortune, to his wife, Elizabeth. Who, as mentioned before, exercised all of her time and energy toward attending and throwing rich banquets, aristocratic luncheons and snobbish art auctions. She was not just a social butterfly; she was _**the**_ social butterfly; known, loved and admired far and wide. She lived to be fashionable and socialize among the pure blooded wealth; she did not need anything outside of her social circles.

What surprised Ms. Whimbellbee was Loveleen never once pined after her mother's affection, perhaps the poor girl was shy or even intimidated by Lady Merryweather. But, if one were to ask Loveleen herself, she would simply say, "Mother is always with her friends. And I'd rather lick salt then sit next to those squealing buffoons! I refuse to become such a snob!"

Her governess would always snicker at such comments; the image of yapping and squealing buffoons was not too far off from the actual scene itself, however Ms. Whimbellbee would quickly recover and once again become her stern and proper self.

Even if the Loveleen was willing to, she was not permitted to attend any of the social gatherings; she was deemed unfit by her own mother. And yet again, this did not seem to faze the young heiress to Moonacre Valley, in fact, up until this point nothing seemed to faze Lady Loveleen Hypatia Merryweather. She knew escaping the life bestowed upon her at birth was not possible and therefore she settled upon this life. When she thought about it, she very much enjoyed her current life – she loved her home, the gardens and fruit orchards. She loved the stables that housed the beautiful black stallions and she loved the village of Silverydew and Paradise Hill. She loved her brother Benjamin and her steely governess; in an odd sort of way, even loved her mother and father. This was her home and she found comfort and contentment within Moonacre Valley.

But that was all about to change…

~Note~

Hi again, so this use to be the first chapter but now it's the second chapter…I also added more to it and molded it to fit my story.

Normally the author notes are placed at the beginning of the chapter but I like having mine at the very end :D

Also, here is how to pronounce the main character's name Loveleen Hypatia:

Love – lean

High – bay – she –ah

A cool little fact about the name Hypatia – she was a great philosopher, mathematician and astronomer from AD 350-370. Hypatia taught and studied at the grand library of Alexandria. I thought I would give Loveleen the name because much like Hypatia, she was intelligent, wise and free-spirited. The real Hypatia met a tragic end so whether Loveleen herself does as well it still up in the air.

Anyways, more updates to come soon! I'm thinking Sunday nights will be a good day to post updates.

Thanks for reading!


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